


Operation Neptune

by K_lara7



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Canon Compliant, D-Day, F/M, My wish for a season 3 premiere., Post Christmas episodes 2024, WWII
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2020-04-11 20:34:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 13,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19117207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/K_lara7/pseuds/K_lara7
Summary: Taking off where Miracle of Christmas ends, it's February 2024. A simple recon mission for Wyatt doesn't go as planned.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a slow writer and still working out future details. Since it's the 75th anniversary of D-Day I decided to post this now.
> 
> Forgive me if my details are wrong. Some research is hard to do. I had two great uncles on the front while my grandfather was in the Pacific.

February 12, 2024 Palo Alto, California 

It had been a long night. The girls were always hard to settle down for bed when their dad was away on assignment. They missed him terribly if he wasn't there to tuck them in. Much like their mother, Lucy thought.

Normally he would spend days getting the girls ready for his overnight excursions for  
Special Projects. But this time it was different. Wyatt hadn't even told her he would be out of town until that one rushed phone call. His hurried, “Kiss the girls for me, and know that I love you, Luce,” terrified her. And she didn't know why.

Then the knock came. She opened the door to a message courier. “Can I help you?”

“Lucy Preston?”

“Yes?”

“The Lucy Preston who is also Mrs. Wyatt Logan?” he clarified. Looking him over, there was something familiar about him, but she couldn’t place it. 

“Yes. What is this about?” she demanded, tendrils of fear washing over her.

He held out a clipboard. “If you'll sign there, I have a registered letter for you.”

She quickly scrawled a line across the paper handing back the clipboard and holding out her hand. Grabbing the note, she shut the door.

With shaking hands she tore the envelope open. The letter inside was yellowed with age. Drops of something brown stained the edges. But it was the neat, masculine handwriting that made Lucy lightheaded. She'd recognize Wyatt's handwriting in any century.

Although faded with age, Lucy had no trouble making out the words. “Come find me.” It was signed Able and dated June 6.

Grabbing her phone, she pushed the second number on her speed dial. It was answered immediately.


	2. Prologue part 2

Twelve hours earlier, Coyanosa, Texas

What should have been a simple recon mission was turning out to be a nightmare. Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan knew better than to attempt a solo infiltration of any compound that might be owned and operated by Rittenhouse. His Intel was spotty, but he was sure it was correct. 

And that meant he didn't have time to wait for backup. The power drains from the nearest electrical junction indicated the powerup of something big. Now was the time to find out just what they were building. His gut told him they were working on a new time machine. Why else would they be in the middle of nowhere? They wouldn't have the genius of Jiya, Rufus or Mason. But like Agent Christopher said, “If one person can build a time machine, then so could someone else.”

West Texas wasn't his favorite place in the world, either. He would get in, verify the existence of their research, sabotage it if he could, and get out without being seen. 

But best laid plans had a way of not working. And today was one of those days. He had caused a spectacular distraction with damage to a junction box. As far as he could tell, the five people he'd observed inside had gone out to find answers. 

Carefully he made his way towards the center of the complex wishing he had his team with him. He cleared each room with precision. All the while memories of another Rittenhouse lair filled his mind. This time he didn’t have Agent Christopher or Jiya in his head. Some dampening field had cut off his cell phone. Had this not been such a remote location he would have waited for backup.

Turning, he had just made it to the concentration of heat signatures when he heard a small voice call out, “Stop right there or I’ll shoot.”

Holding his hands up, gun still gripped, he turned to the speaker. “You have got to be kidding me.”


	3. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a slow set up. I'm over 8,000 words into this, it just flows better for me with the breaks.

“Sergeant Logan's office. Corporal Roberts speaking.”

Lucy took a deep breath before responding. It wasn't the kid's fault that his boss had sent her such a cryptic message. 

“Roberts, this is Lucy Preston. I need to speak to Wyatt immediately.” 

“I'm sorry, ma'am. Sergeant Logan is out of the office. May I take a message?”

Gritting her teeth, she replied, “Then transfer me to Denise Christopher.”

“Ma'am, if you could tell me what this is about, I would be better able to direct your call.”

“Roberts, if you don't transfer me to Denise right now, I'll come down there and find her myself.”

“I'm sorry. Who are you again?”

“Lucy Preston,” she bit out. “Wyatt Logan's wife.”

That got his attention. “Yes Mrs. Logan, transferring your call right now.”

Shaking her head, she tried to get over the identification by husband issue. She knew it was futile to correct anyone under Wyatt's command. To them it was a sign of inclusion, making her one of their own. 

Denise picked up on the second ring. “Christopher.”

“Denise,” she said tersely, “it's Lucy. Where's Wyatt?”

“He went on a fact finding mission and is due back tomorrow,” the older woman answered calmly. 

“What kind of fact finding mission?”

“He was researching a facility outside Amarillo that has had unusual power drains. Pretty routine.”

The stained letter in Lucy's pocket said otherwise. 

Sensing something was wrong, Denise asked, “Why? Has something happened?”

Taking a deep breath Lucy replied, “I believe the ‘Protocol’ has been activated.”

There was no hesitation as Agent Christopher answered, “I'm sending a car to get you and the girls.”

Trying to slow her breathing, Lucy grabbed the girls "go bags." At the moment she was grateful that Wyatt always made sure the girls were ready to go on a moments notice. She had teased him over his concerns. Those adventures were long behind them. There was no reason to be so vigilant.

A chill went down her back as she realized this was the real deal. Their quiet world had finally been shattered and nothing would ever be the same.


	4. Chapter 2

Wyatt couldn’t believe it. Of all the people to catch him, it had to be a teenager. And she was holding a lethal looking gun in shaking hands. Keeping his hands elevated with his gun pointed at the ceiling, he said, “Are you planning on using that?”

Nonplussed, she answered, “Only if I have to. Who are you and what are you doing here?” 

“If you put down the gun, it would make it easier to talk,” he tried reasoning, carefully moving closer.

“Are you one of them?” she asked.

“One of who?”

“The people who run this place.” Looking around carefully, she whispered, “Rittenhouse.” 

Shaking his head, he answered, “No. I’m not part of Rittenhouse. But I guess that answers the who of the situation. I suppose they’re building a time machine?”

“No," she said surprised. "I am. It’s almost completed,” she said, letting her weapon drop.

Stunned, Wyatt looked more carefully at the girl in front of him. She appeared maybe 15, of Asian decent. More importantly, she looked scared. 

“What is Rittenhouse planning to do with this machine you’re building?”

“They said something about a rescue mission. Someone stuck in history. The way they talk about her it can’t be good. I don’t want to help them, but I don’t know how to stop them,” she said, the fragile hold on her emotions letting go.

Wyatt moved forward careful not to startle her. He holstered his weapon and took hers from her. The safety was still on. Tucking that one away in his belt, he suddenly found his arms filled with the poor girl crying all over him. “Shh.” He whispered as if she was one of his own girls. “I got you.”


	5. Chapter 3

After depositing the twins with an agent in the nursery, Lucy made her way to Agent Christopher's office.

Before she could knock on the door, Denise pulled it open and dragged her in for a hug. She closed the door to her office and immediately asked. “What's happened?”

“This letter arrived by courier about an hour ago. It’s from Wyatt,” Lucy said as she handed over the stained page.

Christopher took it carefully as she noted the suspicious stains. “Is that blood?” 

Shrugging Lucy said, “I have no idea. This letter is probably over 60 years old.”

“What makes you say that?”

“June 6th? That has to be D-Day. June 6, 1944.”

“And Able?” she asked, not questioning Lucy's certainty that it was her husband's handwriting. 

“It's could be referring to Able Company which was the first land unit to come in by water. Most of them died before they even hit land.” She answered solemnly. 

“Or-” Denise prodded.

“Or it's Drop Zone Able. The LZ for the 82nd and 101st Airborne Units. Most of the paratroopers actually missed their marks and had to regroup. The entire invasion was a bloodbath that makes St. Mihel look tame.” 

“So which do you think it is?”

“The only logical possibility is the LZ. I can't see that Wyatt would be alive if he was in Able Company,” she shuddered. 

“I see.” Denise sat down hard behind her desk and motioned for Lucy to take a seat as well. “Obviously we need to mount a rescue attempt.”

The older woman handed her a tablet. “I need you to make a list of everything you and the girls will need for the next couple weeks. We're going to have to settle you in a safe location.”

“And then?” Lucy asked.

“And then, we go find our soldier.”

Half an hour and several cryptic phone calls later, Denise pulled a small box out of her desk and handed it to the younger woman. “I never wanted to use these, but I guess it's time.”

With shaking hands, Lucy opened the box and looked down at a locket resting on top of a security ID with her name and picture on it. The pendant was heart shaped and opened to reveal two photos. On the left was a recent picture of the twins. Next to it was a picture of her and Wyatt on their wedding day. The front was etched with a stylized “L”. The back was engraved, ‘Yours in every timeline.”

“Wyatt was going to give you the locket on Valentine’s Day, but under the circumstances, I don’t think he’ll mind me giving it to you early.” She paused to gesture at the ID badge. “Welcome to special projects. I was hoping we would never need the protocol, but here we are. We need to grab the girls. We have another meeting to get to.” 

She took the list Lucy had made and handed it off to Cpl. Roberts. “Take care of this list and meet us at the Alpha site.”

“Yes, ma'am.”


	6. Chapter 4

It took a few minutes to get the full story out of the girl, Paulina. Rittenhouse had discovered her research and tried to capitalize on it. They had grabbed her after a science fair and brought her to this facility. Somehow they had gotten a hold of her project notes and were almost done building a new machine before her arrival. Their engineers had gotten something wrong and kidnapped her to fix it. And she had. The machine was ready for a test flight. They were training pilots now. 

Noises from outside alerted Wyatt to the return of the Rittenhouse team. They had to go, and now. There was only one escape route open, the new machine. 

The plan sucked, and he knew it. He racked his brain trying to find any other options. Turning to Paulina he asked, “Can you fly this thing?”

“Uhm, I’ve never tried it. Time travel isn’t supposed to be real. I was only working on theories,” she stated.

“I was afraid of that.” He turned at a noise from behind them. “Well, there’s no time like the present to learn. Jump in, power it up. I’m right behind you,” he said as he pulled his gun and turned toward the people running towards them. 

He fired a couple shots to slow them down and was met with returning fire. Ducking back, he tried to make as small a target as he could. One of the bastards got in a lucky shot with enough force to pierce his armour. He stumbled climbing into the machine. Thankfully this one was built with easier steps. Wyatt fiddled with what he assumed was the door lock and was relieved when the hatch closed.

He looked over at the girl. She was shaking, but she seemed to be holding it together. Hiding a grimace of pain, he asked, “Do you want me to drive?”

Shaking her head yes, she moved away from the controls and sat in the passenger seat. Wyatt noticed this was almost a two person pilot design, with controls similar to the original Lifeboat. Taking a deep breath, he tried to remember every instruction Rufus had ever given him about piloting a time machine. 

They had always assumed their ‘Protocol’ procedures were exercises in hypotheticals, but he was grateful for the lessons now. He carefully programmed in coordinates for the only historical location he could remember. Turning to Paulina he flashed a half smile he didn’t feel. “Those controls on your side work?”

“They should. We’ve never tested it.”

“I might need you to take over the controls, so be ready.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing!” she practically shouted.

Breathlessly he whispered, “Oh, that’s okay. I don’t either.” He smirked at her. “By the way, my name’s Wyatt.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to hide now....


	7. Chapter 5

It had only been six weeks since the mission to Sao Paulo, but something felt different about the bunker. Lucy couldn’t quite figure out what it was. The girls had been shown to Lucy and Wyatt’s old room with Denise’s daughter Olivia to watch them. The next few days were going to be rough and knowing they were in good hands would help the separation anxiety Lucy was feeling.

A quick tour of the hideout brought back so many memories. Some good, some bad, but important all the same.

A noise at the main door brought her out of her reflections. They were all there. Rufus, Jiya, and Connor had dropped everything to come to this dark place and help them. 

Denise didn’t waste time on niceties, there would be time for that later. She turned to Lucy. “Over the last five years we’ve made some serious modifications to the Bunker. Jiya Industries has been secretly building a...” she paused and turned to Jiya. “You explain it.”

“We’ve been working on building a time dampening shield of sorts to protect the bunker from outside time shifts. Anyone inside will not feel the effects of any changes made to the timeline. The girls will be safe here, no matter what happens in the past.”

“We’ve also added a cloaking field to the Lifeboat so we no longer have to park ten miles away from our target,” Rufus added. “No more wishing for a one horse open sleigh.” He flashed a little cell phone sized box. “And this device is going to help us find any temporal radiation field. As long as we land within a hundred miles of the new time machine we should be able to find it. Jiya designed it,” he added proudly.

Lucy looked around at the faces of the people she called family. “I don’t understand. If we never intended to use the machine again, why would you dedicate so many resources to this?”

“Because,” Mason said in his exaggerated British accent, “There will always be an Oppenheimer to build the next dangerous thing. As much as we would hope it would only be used for good, it never hurts to play the long game and be ready for any eventuality.”

“Now,” Denise said, “Rufus is going with you to rescue Wyatt. Jiya and Mason are going to stay here and take turns monitoring from here. The girls are going to have to stay in the bunker until you get back. Olivia will stay to help keep an eye on them. I’m going back to the office to see if I can figure out how Wyatt ended up in 1944.”

Jiya grabbed Lucy’s arm and headed for her old room. “I brought our clothes from North Korea. Agent Christopher said D-Day. I think the uniforms were close enough. Rufus is getting changed now. Take my set just in case you need them.”

“Thanks,” Lucy said. They both knew she meant more than being grateful for the clothes.


	8. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have overcome a huge writer's block. Hopefully I can post faster. This story is about 9,500 words so far. I do want to shout out to my kids. They are 16 & 14\. This last week they helped me a lot with plot and proofreading. :)

Temporal reentry was much harder than Wyatt’s body remembered. The seasickness was the worst he had ever experienced. The hard jolt of the rough landing didn’t help, especially with the pain in his side. He knew he had lost some blood, and it felt like the bullet had been shoved deeper. He couldn’t really check until the world stopped spinning.

Paulina seemed to handle the landing much better. She was a little dazed but at least she didn’t look green at the gills. “You okay?” he asked.

“I think so. Where are we?” 

“I think the better question is when are we?” He said as he released his seat belts. Standing, he staggered to the hatch and opened it onto a forest. He scanned the trees around them and determined they were alone. He could only hope it would stay that way. If his calculations were right, speaking German and English weren't the best options for secrecy. 

Carefully climbing out of the contraption and putting as little pressure on his side as he could, Wyatt turned back to Paulina. He noted that her very modern blouse and pants wouldn’t fit in here anymore than his body armour would. But stealing clothes would have to wait. It was getting dark and they needed to find shelter first. 

Looking over the craft, Wyatt seriously doubted the machine would ever fly again. For now he removed the power supply and camouflaged it the best he could in the brush around them. Reaching out for the girl’s hand he said, “We need to find cover soon. If my coordinates were correct, we’re in Normandy, France, June 1944. When Rufus and I practiced my piloting skills we assumed I would have the autopilot feature available. So we only practiced one set of coordinates.”

“Normandy? As in the Invasion of Normandy?” the girl asked, fearfully.

Wyatt nodded. “Yeah. Shortly before Allied Forces land.”


	9. Chapter 7

June 7, 1944 Normandy, France

Lucy looked around at the chaos that had become beach command at Checkpoint Able. Someone here should be able to guide her. The scene around her reminded her of the St. Michel battlefield. A quarter of a century might have passed, but death was still death. 

Commanding General Maxwell Taylor caught Lucy's eye. Pulling Rufus behind her, she headed straight for him. 

“General Taylor?” she interrupted the conversation he was having with another officer.

“Ma'am. Who are you and what are you doing here?” he demanded taking in both Lucy and Rufus, who had stopped differentially ten steps behind her. 

Prepared for this obvious question Lucy answered, “I'm Lucy Preston with O.S.S. This is my pilot Rufus. My partner, Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan and I were part of the advanced scouting group working with an MI6 agent. We became separated when the action started. I was wondering if you could provide me with a scout to help me locate him?”

“Which MI6 officer are you working with?” he asked doubtfully. 

“Ian Fleming,” she answered without hesitation. 

“Oh, that explains it,” he shrugged. Scanning, he looked around at his men. 

“Explains what?” she asked.

“How a woman came to be working with MI6. He only works with women. A weird quirk to be sure, but he gets results.” Finally his eyes came to rest on a bedraggled soldier. “Logan! Over here!”

Lucy started at the name. Could it really be that easy? But as she turned to greet the newcomer she was faced with the fact that he was a total stranger. Familiar somehow, but she'd definitely never met him. 

The figure came to an abrupt stop and saluted. “Sir.”

The general waved away the gesture. “These two are working with Fleming. They are looking for their partner. Another Sergeant Logan. I want you to give them whatever assistance necessary.”

The young man looked her over curiously. “Ma'am,” he greeted her in such a familiar tone Lucy felt light headed. “I will be happy to assist in any way possible.”

“I’ll leave you to handle the matter Sergeant.” The general turned to Lucy. “Good luck, ma'am,” and he was gone.

Mumbling under her breath Lucy complained, “I wish everyone would stop calling me ma'am.”

But she wasn't quiet enough. “I'm sorry, ma'am, it's a soldier thing,” he replied with a familiar smirk. 

And suddenly it all clicked. “Sergeant Sherwin Logan, is it?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, she corrected him. “Please, it's Lucy. Only my husband calls me ma'am.” 

“I'll try, ma-- Lucy. It's a hard habit to break.”

“So I've been told,” she mumbled. Turning she waved Rufus over. “Sergeant, this is my pilot, Rufus Carlin. He's my tech specialist as well.” She then turned to Rufus and made a face, the kind that said be careful, pay attention. “Rufus, this is Sergeant Sherwin Logan. He's been assigned to help us find Wyatt.”

Rufus just stared at this younger version of his best friend. The kid couldn't have been more than 24, and looked just like Wyatt must have at the same age. 

“You're staring,” the young man stated. “Is there going to be a problem?” 

Lucy knocked Rufus's side. “No, no problem at all. You just aren't what we expected in a guide. Your a little younger than we're used to.”

Smirking that signature Logan smile, Sherwin responded, “No need to worry. It’s not my first mission, Lucy.”


	10. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I got sidetracked by SDCC. Writing time travel is the hardest thing I've done.

June 5, 1944

Wyatt was having trouble concentrating. He’d had a pretty good idea of when and where they had landed. Northern France, near Cherbourg. Within hours the area would be overwhelmed with Allied and German forces. He knew from his grandfather the exact troop movements and time frame. Something about those events was sending warning bells across his mind, but he was too tired to figure it out. 

The two of them had been walking for a long while, he wasn’t sure how long. Surprisingly, Paulina was trudging along like any good soldier he’d ever marched with. And while he really wanted to just rest, he knew he had to get her to safety first. Through the mist that was giving them cover, he thought he saw a cottage.

“Paulina,” he whispered. “That way to the left. Think we can make it to the house?”

She looked over and nodded. “Shouldn’t be a problem. How are you holding up?” There was no way she would voice her fears, but she was worried. This strange guy, who may have kidnapped her or rescued her, was obviously in pain. He said it was from landing so hard, but she was pretty sure there was something else.

The time machine was badly damaged. There was a distinct possibility that it would never work again so they couldn’t get home that way. Even if they could repair it, neither of them knew how to get back to the precise moment they left. They were stuck here.

“Wyatt, how are we going to get home?” she asked.

“Home to the United States, or home to 2024?” he countered.

“Both.”

“I’m not worried about that. Right now we have to find cover and hunker down until the American troops come through here. We can get help from them. Then we can negotiate our way to the US. After that, I try to find someone to help us. Let’s just take this one problem at a time, okay?” he added feebly.

“Okay.” 

The house was, thankfully, deserted. The roof wasn’t in the greatest repair, but the shelter would do for the time being. The owners had left in a hurry. A quick search of the place revealed some food stores and medical supplies. He’d start with that, and figure out what to do next.


	11. Chapter 9

Marching with Sergeant Sherwin Logan was much like marching with Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan. He took the lead and scanned their surroundings for any signs of the German troops. He didn’t expect to run into any resistance. Germany was just beginning to realise Calais was not the intended invasion point and they were still moving into position. 

Rufus was holding the scanner looking for the signature of a new time ship. Without a linked CPU, they were in the dark where to start. Normandy was a big place. The only reason he was sure they were on the right path is because he had given Wyatt piloting lessons using similar coordinates. So based on that hunch, they directed Sherwin to head in that direction.

They had settled into a pattern, Sherwin would look to Rufus who would nod or point in the path they needed to go. Without question, he lead the way. They drifted into a pattern where Sherwin walked just in front of Lucy but close enough to talk to her while Rufus dropped back a little.

“So, would you mind telling me what we’re looking for? And what is that device your pilot is relying on to guide us in enemy territory?” he asked.

“Uhm,” Lucy looked to Rufus for guidance. He responded with a ‘don’t ask me look’. “The military has been working on some secret projects. The plans for one of the key pieces of technology was stolen. We have reason to believe that it is being hidden somewhere in France. The device Rufus has is measuring radio waves that might be given off by anything they built.”

“And you think your ‘partner’ might have already stumbled onto this technology? Why hasn’t he contacted you?”

“I’m not sure why he hasn’t contacted us,” she hedged. It wasn’t like she could explain time travel couriers. “It’s very unlike him to go so long without checking in. But his last known communication was from this area and we do know he was following a credible lead.”

“And he went alone? Seems like a reckless thing to do,” he shook his head. “It’s going to be dark soon. I think we should find cover and continue in the morning.”

Lucy didn’t like the idea of stopping, but she could see the logic in it. “Where would you suggest?”

“Advanced recon of the area discovered a cottage not far from here. The family was secretly moved to another location. We should be able to hole up there for the night.” 

“I’ll trust your judgement on that.”


	12. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've finished this, all but the epilogue. It's seems rough to me, so I hope I don't loose anyone. The chapters are more like scenes, so some are brief. Sorry about the pacing.

Several hours had passed since Wyatt and Paulina had made themselves at home in the cottage. The first thing he did was locate some parchment and a pencil to write Lucy a note. They could figure out how to send it later. 

Although he didn’t want to, he took the time to give the girl a battlefield safety lesson on the use of a gun as he checked and returned her gun to her. If Nazi occuped france wasn’t a place for an ordinance lesson, no place was. 

He’d managed to scrape together a meal for them. The pain from his wound was getting worse and he knew he wouldn’t be able to put off treating it any longer. They didn’t have the right supplies and he couldn’t pull the bullet out on his own. 

Taking a deep breath, he turned to the girl and said, “I’m going to need your help. I can’t see how bad the wound is. Do you mind helping me with this vest?” 

“Sure.” Paulina carefully unfastened the velcro trying not to jostle him too much. There was a small hole in his black undershirt, which he carefully put pressure on. The grimace on his face told her he was in pain. “Is it bad?”

Wyatt knew it was bad. The bullet was definitely still in there. It hadn’t gone in very far, having been deflected by his armour. All the moving around sure didn’t help, though. He might be able to remove the bullet himself, if he had a mirror, but it was going to be hard. Maybe he could get help from the Americans after the invasion. He certainly couldn’t ask this poor kid to dig a bullet out of his side. For now, he would just settle for pouring some alcohol over it and stopping the bleeding. 

“Nope,” he lied unconvincingly. “It can wait. For now, why don’t we try to get some rest. You take the bed. I’ll stay up and keep watch.” He had no idea how long he could remain conscious and he didn’t want to scare her. “No matter what happens, don’t open the door to anyone who doesn’t speak English, okay?” She nodded and went into the other room.


	13. Chapter 11

They were really close to the cottage when Sherwin stopped them. There was a light flickering at the window that shouldn’t be there. Motioning for Lucy and Rufus to take cover, he pulled his gun and crept towards the building. 

He made his way under a window and peeked in. The cottage wasn’t big and the main room consisted of a living space and dining kitchen space. On the couch, a man appeared to be sleeping or dead. It could be a trap, but the cottage was supposed to be deserted. 

Moving around the outside, he stopped under another window. This room had a single bed with one occupant sleeping in it. Seeing no other signs of life, he made his way back to Lucy and Rufus. “What does Wyatt look like?” 

Lucy didn’t hesitate to pull her locket out and show him Wyatt’s picture. Questions about how a color photograph was possible could wait for now. “Here’s his picture.” 

“He’s in the cottage, asleep. I think it would be better if you went in first so he knows we’re friendlies.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” She stood up to leave. 

“Wait. Just in case I’m wrong, take it slow. And be prepared, he doesn’t look good.”

Not looking good was an understatement. Wyatt looked like death warmed over, and he didn’t respond when Lucy shook him. “No Wyatt, come on, wake up. Don’t do this to me.” She went to shake him again and was stopped by Sherwin. 

“Don’t. He’s been wounded, you could make it worse. We need to see how bad it is.” She nodded as she raised her hands to Wyatt’s face. A voice behind her made her freeze.

“Who are you?” a small voice asked. They turned to see a young girl standing in the doorway holding a gun on them. When they didn’t answer, she repeated, “Who are you?”

Before anyone could answer, Wyatt said, “It’s okay, Paulina. They’re the good guys. This is Lucy, my wife,” he said proudly. Gesturing to Rufus he added, “And this is my friend Rufus. He pilots our machine.”

The girl perked up at that. “You were at my science fair.” She lowered the gun, letting Rufus take it from her.

A brief look of confusion stole across Rufus’s face before he remembered her. “Right. You had the Laden Jar,” he said moving towards her. He pulled her aside to distract her and find out what was going on. It didn’t look like Wyatt was in any condition to talk.

Wyatt looked Lucy over. “I’m so glad to see you. I don’t know how it’s possible, but I’m really glad you’re-” He looked back over at the soldier who was obviously US Army, 1944. “And you brought company.” There was a hidden question in there that only Lucy would get. The ‘Who is this guy, and how is he important to history’ kind of question.

“Wyatt, this is Sergeant Sherwin Logan of the 101st,” she said deliberately. “He knows about our mission with Ian Fleming.”

Sluggishly he responded, “Our search for the prototype?”

“Yes. Do you remember where you left it?”

“I think so. We only walked for a day, and not very fast. I know the coordinates we landed at. I must have been pretty close to the mark. This cabin is exactly where-” he stopped as he realized who Lucy said was with them. His eyes grew a little bigger as he took in the face he remembered from family photo albums. He could see hints of the old man his grandfather would become. 

“The cabin is exactly where… what?” the young man asked impatiently. By this time, he was kneeling next to Wyatt and probing the wound. 

The pain was enough to keep Wyatt from being able to answer. Besides, how could he explain that the cabin was exactly where his grandfather told him it was, when that event wouldn’t happen for over 75 years?

Breathing heavily, he snapped, “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m going to patch you up, you idiot.” He turned to look at Lucy and Rufus. “Unless one of you would rather do the honors?”

Rufus answered, “Uh no. Done it once, once was enough. And Lucy? She faints at the sight of blood. Well, unless it’s her own. That doesn’t bother her.”

“Rufus!” Lucy shout-whispered. Taking a deep breath she said, “Why don’t you give Paulina Jiya’s uniform. It’s going to be baggy on her, but it’s better than what she’s wearing. And then maybe you guys should go for medical supplies? And check in with Agent Christopher.”

“Uhm, I’m game if she is.” Turning to the girl he asked, “How do you feel about going for a scary enemy infested walk in the dark to find supplies?” 

“I guess we should,” she said shakily. While a walk in the dark scary countryside of war torn France didn’t seem ideal, neither was watching a bullet being dug out of someone’s side.

Wyatt called out to him. “Rufus, wait. I doubt the prototype will ever fly again, but just in case, I removed its power source. The battery is camouflaged near it.”

“Right.” Rufus looked at him in confusion. Wyatt was trying to tell him something, but he didn't know what exactly. Maybe he would figure it out as he went.


	14. Chapter 12

Sherwin turned to Lucy. “We need to move him to the bed. It’ll be much easier to get that bullet out if I have space to work.”

Lucy nodded, knowing this was going to be painful for Wyatt. She was pulled back to another room and another time when her husband had been shot. He’d been real nonchalant about it then. She missed his dismissive attitude right now. They didn’t know how long he’d been here or how much blood he had lost.

Before Lucy had a chance to move into position, Sherwin had already placed one hand under Wyatt’s knees and one under his back. As he started to lift the other soldier up, he turned to Lucy and said, “Go turn the sheets down. I’ve got him.” 

Agitated, Lucy rushed to do as she was told. Sherwin slipped him down on the bed as soon as she was done. “Help me get this off him,” he asked indicating Wyatt’s body armour. They made quick work of removing it. Wyatt stirred under them. “Shh,” Lucy whispered. “It’s okay Wyatt, you’re safe.” 

He blinked up at her and she felt a huge wave of relief wash over her. “Lucy?” he asked, uncertainly.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“How?”

“We can worry about that after we get this bullet out of you,” Sherwin snapped.

Confused, Wyatt looked over this stranger. Something was familiar about him, but he couldn’t figure out what. Before he could ask anymore questions, a sudden sharp pain sent him back into unconsciousness. 

“Well,” Sherwin said matter-of-factly, “that will make this much easier.” He looked over at Lucy who was hovering nervously at his side. “Don’t worry. He’ll be fine. He seems pretty stubborn.”


	15. Chapter 13

Wyatt had finally slipped into a deep sleep. While Rufus and Paulina were still not back from their scavenger hunt, Lucy settled in at the table waiting for those promised questions to come. She knew Sherwin was losing patience and had every right to wonder what was going on. 

She watched him as he finished making them tea. As he settled in across from her, he said, “Alright, start explaining.”

“I don’t even know where to begin,” she tried to stall.

“Let’s start with your ring. Where did you get it?” he asked, pointing at the delicate diamond.

Looking down Lucy answered softly, “My husband gave it to me the day he asked me to marry him.”

“When was that?”

“About five years ago. We were between assignments and had a couple weeks to settle in. So he took me to a riverboat on the Sacramento River and proposed to me there.” 

“What was so special about Sacramento?”

“I don’t know what you mean?”

“When I asked my wife to marry me, I picked a special place. The tree on the hill where we first kissed. I was so nervous, I opened the box upside down and dropped the ring,” he shook his head sheepishly. “She said yes before I could ask, before we even foundit.”

Lucy stared at him for a moment before looking back at the cot Wyatt was resting on. After a moment he asked again, “What was so special about Sacramento?”

“Sacramento, right. It’s close to where we are assigned and one of our last missions occurred there. I love history, so he picked a Gold Rush era steamboat to propose. It was my birthday. And in typical Wyatt fashion he completely tripped over what he was trying to ask.”

“Oh? What did he say?”

“We aren’t getting younger. And we have so much to make up for. Time’s too short- so maybe,” she laughed. “I finally interrupted him and told him to get to the point. He pulled out the ring and I shouted yes before he could ask.” She looked back at Wyatt and then whispered quietly, “He told me the ring belonged to his grandmother.” Looking over at the young man in front of her, she added, “He told me his grandfather gave it to him and one day he would give it to the woman who completed him.”

Sherwin looked over at Wyatt. Confused, he said, “The ring I bought my wife looks just like the one you're wearing.” 

“I’m sure it does,” she said, sliding the ring off her finger and handing it to him. “Right down to the inscription.” He took it in his hands and looked on the inside of the band. “C & S forever.”

“How is this possible?” 

Before she could think better of it, Lucy answered honestly, “The technology were tracking? It’s a time machine.”

“Not possible. Time travel isn’t real.”

“It isn’t now. But in 72 years it’s going to be very possible. One of the prototypes is going to end up in the wrong hands. It’s how we ended up here.” She pulled her locket out from under her shirt. Pulling it over her head she opened it and showed him. “These are our girls, Amy and Flynn. They are waiting for us to go get home.”

He did the math, “Home to 2016?”

“No. 2024. We thought we were done with all this. The faction that took the original prototype was defeated five years ago. But they are apparently trying to build a new machine. Which is how Wyatt ended up here ahead of us. At his last check-in, he was doing recon on a possible Rittenhouse location. They are the ones trying to rewrite history to put themselves into power.”

“That seems like it would be impossible.”

“These fanatics believe that by changing certain events, like women getting the right to vote, they can control America, maybe even the world. One simple change, someone who dies who isn’t supposed to,” she said, remembering that long ago conversation with Mason, “or someone living who originally died” she added thinking of Amy, “can lead to ripple effect changes. People who should be born might not be.”

“You sound like that’s happened to you.”

“Our first mission was to 1937, New Jersey. The night The Hindenburg exploded.”

“Two people died, right?” Sherwin pointed out. She nodded, realizing that for him, that event was less than seven years ago.

“In my original timeline, The Hindenburg exploded upon landing due to a static electricity charge, killing thirty-seven people. So thirty-five people lived who didn’t the first time around. And as a result, my half-sister, Amy, was never born. Her father, Henry Wallace, married the granddaughter of one of the survivors.” She took a sip of tea to distract herself from the conversation.

The young man in front of her blinked. He looked so much like Wyatt, trusting him just seemed natural. “So now you jump through time to stop these people from destroying history?”

“That was the plan. Our team was recruited to stop them and recover the other ship. Wyatt was chosen because we needed security and a tactical advantage, his areas of expertise.”

“And what part do you play in all of this?” he looked her over skeptically. 

“I’m the historian of our team. It’s my job to know the facts and customs to help us blend in.”

“And the man you’re with, Rufus?”

“He’s really our pilot and mechanic. He just flies our time machine, The Lifeboat, instead of a plane.” She paused, seeing the same look on Sherwin’s face that Wyatt had on his, all those years ago in the future. “And before you ask, no this isn’t some military psych test, it’s real. It’s classified. And I shouldn’t be telling you any of this.”

“Then why are you?”

“I think- I know you won’t use this information for bad intentions. As this is a need-to-know operation, I think you need to know what’s at stake here. We are pretty sure there aren’t any active Rittenhouse agents in 1944 France, but we can’t be certain. Wyatt and Paulina got here somehow. So we may need your help in destroying the other time ship.”

“Right...” he drawled. “My help to destroy a time ship.” Shaking his head, he stood up. “Why don’t you lay down on the couch and get some sleep. Hopefully your man will be back in the morning and we can complete your mission.

Lucy looked over at Wyatt uncertainly. She was exhausted but she didn’t want to leave him alone.

“Lucy,” Sherwin said softly, “I promise he’ll be here when you wake up.” 

Nodding, she laid down on the couch.


	16. Chapter 14

Wyatt's ribs hurt. Dad must have cracked them again. Why he couldn’t keep his mouth shut and his head down he didn’t know. When he’d started in again about how awful his mother was and how he was just like her, something snapped. He’d reached his breaking point when dad called her names. He might not remember his mother, but he knew she loved him. She didn’t mean to die. 

But Dad blamed him anyway. And this time he’d had enough. After the third hit, Wyatt finally punched back. As drunk as he was, his father went down like a rock and he couldn't wake him. He was sure the old man was dead. In a panic, he did the only thing he could think of. He stole the keys to the Chevy and booked it out of there as fast as he could.

He didn’t count on the pain being so bad or the car needing to be repaired again. The engine exploded and he lost control, careening off the road and hitting the water hard. The cab filled up with water pretty quickly and he figured he was dead. If he didn’t drown, dad would get him for sure.

But he woke up in the hospital to an old man in the chair next to his bed. It took a moment for his eyes to focus. “Are you asleep?” he asked softly.

The man sat up straighter and looked him in the eye. “No, son. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up for a long time,” he answered with a gentle smile.

“Grandpa?” he whispered. Gathering his strength he huffed, “They shouldn’t have called you. Dad’s going to be furious enough with me.” He stopped at the gentle hand on his arm. 

“I can handle your father, never you mind. It’s you I’m worried about, son. The cops told me what happened. And they told me you’ve been getting into a lot of trouble lately.”

Wyatt pushed himself back a little. He wanted to have this conversation in a more upright position. “They did?” he gasped, as his grandfather helped him sit up.

“Of course. They wanted to warn me about what a devil child you have become.” The old man stared hard at him. “I’ve made a decision, son.” Wyatt went cold at those words. His grandfather was finally done with him. He couldn’t blame him. He might not have his father’s last name, but there was no doubt that Wyatt Logan would end up just like his old man.

“The doctors are saying your injuries are pretty bad. You’re going to be here for at least a week. When you get out of here, your coming to live with me in San Diego.” Sherwin Logan gave the directive in a surprisingly strong voice for all his appearance of frailty.

Wyatt searched his face. “Why would you want me?”

“We’re family, son. We take care of our own. It’s obvious that your father isn’t getting the job done of raising you right. Your mother would never forgive me if I walked away from you when you need me most. But I live in San Diego, so you have to relocate. I’ve already squared it away with the social workers.”

When Wyatt would have said something, his grandfather stopped him. “Son, there is a higher power at play here. I don’t question it. But one warning, in my house you follow my rules.”

Trying to be tough, Wyatt spat out, “Or what, you’ll make me some pushups or something?”

His grandfather smirked, “I just might.”

Shifting in his bed, Wyatt came hard awake as pain shot through his side and he realized he wasn’t fifteen playing toughboy to his grandfather. Instead, he was much older, a little wiser and definitely fighting off an infection from a gunshot wound. It was 1944 France, not 1999 Texas. He racked his mind trying to figure out if he said something he shouldn’t. Lucy would be really upset if he messed up the timeline. This was his grandfather. He couldn’t afford to mess anything up. The risk to the timeline. The possibility of becoming those angry people on the future lifeboat, losing his girls. He had to be so careful.

“Relax, Wyatt. You’re Lucy already told me a lot about your current mission. I know about time travel. I know you are my grandson," he paused. It's really weird when you think about it. You’re quite a bit older than I am.”

Wild-eyed, Wyatt looked around for Lucy. He started to panic when he couldn’t find her. “Relax. She’s in the other room sleeping. It took a lot out of her to help me dig that bullet out of your side. I thought she would faint on me.”

“She does faint at the sight of blood.” He smiled quietly to himself remembering the last time he was shot. “And Rufus?”

“Your engineer is scaring up some medical supplies. I did the best I could with what’s in the cabin, but I’m sure the wound is infected. It’s going to be worse before it gets better.”

“We could just get to the Lifeboat and go home. I’d have access to the antibiotics in my own time,” he said as he shifted to get up.

Sherwin immediately moved forward to stop him. “You really are a stubborn idiot, aren’t you?” To Wyatt’s embarrassment, it took very little effort to keep him in bed. “Your friend said they left your Lifeboat near the beach. Unless you are planning to walk thirty miles in your condition, I think you’re just going to have to wait for him to get back. And then you’re only moving if I say you can move. I don’t patch people up so they can die on me out of stubborness.”

Deflated, Wyatt gave up and settled back on the bed. “You win. I learned a long time ago that I can’t win any arguments with you.” 

“So, Wyatt, tell me about yourself.”

“That’s probably not a good idea,” he said as the room swam around him. He realized the infection was raising his temperature and he couldn’t concentrate on the reality around him.

“And why not? Are you afraid I might mess with the future?”

“Not really. I'm more afraid of what Lucy would say to me.”

“That lady of yours? I’m sure she’s harmless.”

Wyatt laughed, setting his side on fire. Taking deep breaths to try and control the pain, he gasped, “Don’t let her appearance deceive you. She killed Jesse James. I keep that in mind every time I’m tempted to tease her.”

“She killed Jesse James?” Sherwin asked in disbelief. None of the history books he read mentioned a woman doing the shooting.

“Yeah. It was supposed to be the Ford brothers, members of his own gang, shooting him while he was dusting a painting. Instead, he managed to kill so many more people first.”

“Why don’t you just start at the beginning. It might be easier to follow.”

Wyatt wanted to tell his grandfather everything. He missed just talking to him. He knew this wasn’t real. The fever had to really be getting to him, but he wanted to be able to share the last years to the old man.

“Tell you what, Sherwin said,"just stick to events that happened after I died, then that way you aren’t telling me anything I will find out on my own.”

To his fever induced mind, Wyatt thought that was a very practical idea, so he began with a first meeting in an office waiting room with one Lucy Preston.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this head canon about Wyatt since Darlington 500. Putting it to words was hard. I don't know that a trigger warning was necessary as it's already part of the Timeless universe that Wyatt had problems with his father.


	17. Chapter 15

The Bunker 2024

The Lifeboat popped back into existence and Rufus stepped out. As Jiya, Denise and Mason rushed over, he pulled the stairs over and helped Paulina down. Mason looked at the pilot with incredulity. “Rufus,” he asked, “who the bloody hell is this?”

Before Rufus could do the honors, Paulina shouted, “Jiya Marri?” she looked around confused. 

Jiya smiled at the girl shooting Rufus a confused look. He made short work of introductions ending with, “It seems time travel is her specialty.” 

Agent Christopher looked on with a troubled expression. “Where’s Wyatt and Lucy?” 

Rufus looked down at his feet before answering. “Yeah… about that. There’s been a little complication. They’re still in 1944.”

“What kind of complication?” Denise snapped sharply.

“Wyatt’s been shot. In fact, I need to grab medical supplies and go back for him. He’s in bad shape and can’t be moved.” He looked over at Jiya. “Maybe you should come with me? Use those mad doctoring skills of yours?”

Before Jiya could volunteer, Denise answered, “Wait. I have a better idea. Let me make a phone call. Rufus, bring Mason up to speed on this new machine.” Turning to Jiya she added, ”Charge up the Lifeboat and make sure it’s ready to jump by the time I get back. Paulina, we’ll get you back to your family as soon as we get our people back. We’re going to need to know everything you can tell us about what happened in Texas and how you ended up in 1944.”


	18. Chapter 16

Normandy 1944

A loud noise brought Wyatt awake with a start. The sudden movement jolted his side and he let out a groan without realizing it. 

Lucy looked up from next to the stove. “Oh, your awake! I didn’t mean to wake you.” She rushed over to his side. “Your fever’s down a little bit. That’s a huge improvement.”

Disoriented, Wyatt took in the cabin and Lucy’s clothes. “Where…” he started to ask as his memories started flooding back. 

“France, June 1944.” Lucy answered the unspoken questions.

“So not a dream, then,” he stated, settling back.

“No.”

“So if I didn’t dream that, then…” he paused remembering someone else in this cabin. 

Lucy nodded. “Yes. We kind of ran into your grandfather,” she answered sheepishly. “You’re a lot like him.”

Wyatt snorted. “You mean he’s a reckless hot head?”

Squinting her eyes in that adorable way of hers, she smirked. “Not at all. You didn’t get that from him. He’s been very careful about anything we do.”

“What’s our cover story?”

“Oh, we decided to stick with a comfortable one. We’re working with Ian Fleming, looking for a prototype weapon. Turns out that was a good choice. His reputation for working with women provided a good cover.”

“And Rufus?”

“He went back to the Bunker to get medical supplies and take Paulina home. You’ve been hurt pretty bad,” Lucy said, her voice breaking. “Hopefully he will be back soon. I mean, he has a time machine. But we had no idea where you were. Your directions weren’t the most direct. We parked near the beach. It’s going to take a few hours. He’ll park closer this time.”


	19. Chapter 17

A commotion at the door late the next morning sent Sherwin to the window for a quick check to make sure it was Rufus. Lucy had no doubt of his identity when she heard the words, “Merry Christmas you filthy animals.” As passcodes for secret missions go, it fit him perfectly. But it was pretty confusing to Wyatt’s grandfather. 

Lucy rushed to the door and threw it open, hugging her friend. Rufus took the exuberant contact in stride before pulling back to look at her. After making sure she was tired but safe, he looked around the room for Wyatt.

“Where’s Wyatt? Denise sent reinforcements to help with our modern medicine,” Rufus said as he stepped away from Lucy. That’s when she noticed the much taller man standing behind him. 

“Dave?” she whispered in disbelief?

Master Sergeant David Baumgardner smiled. “Yes, Professor Logan?”

“But your-”

“Dead?” he cut her off. “Yes Rufus told me. The only thing we can figure that changed is a conversation I had with Wyatt’s grandfather.” He smiled as he looked over at Sherwin. “In my timeline, sir, you reminded me that a good soldier never takes an untried weapon into battle, even if that is against orders. I guess that means I owe you my life.”

Sherwin just half smiled the Logan signature smirk. “Your patient is in there.”

“You still with us, Wy-Lo?” Dave said with a smirk as he walked into the bedroom. 

Lucy looked at Rufus and tried not to laugh. Wy-Lo? 

White as a ghost, Wyatt pushed himself up to a sitting position, pushing away the pain. “Bam-Bam? How? When?” The questions were coming too fast and Wyatt wasn’t even sure if he would understand the answer.

Dave set his duffel bag down as he looked over at his friend. “I understand you got yourself shot, you idiot. So let’s deal with that problem first.” He looked his friend over. “Don’t you know better than to go into any situation without your team?” There was real anger tingeing his voice as he sat down next to the bed to look at Wyatt’s injury. “When we get back to 2024 I’m going to have words with you.”

“You were dead. It’s not like I could ask you,” Wyatt pointed out hopelessly.

“Never again do you go on any covert assignment without me, got it?” Bam-Bam bit out. “You have you family to worry about.” This statement was punctuated with the removal of the bandage.

“Got it,” Wyatt answered weakly. “Just don’t get killed again.”

“I’m not planning on it.” After a moment he added, “It’s not like I’ve died in my timeline.”

“Yeah. About that, how?”

“It turns out I’m very good at listening to advice from your grandfather.” Dave looked over at the young man who was Wyatt’s grandfather. “At our Basic Training graduation he took me aside and told me the only order I was ever to disobey was one that dictated I use historical weapons. I was to always use my own gun.” He laughed. “I thought your grandfather was going senile, Wy.  
“Then, one day six years ago, I learned time travel was real and I was being issued a historical weapon to go to Paris, 1929. You know me, I have never disobeyed an order from your grandfather.”

As the two men argued about Wyatt’s stubbornness, the other three sat down over a cup of tea to discuss the next course of action. “Agent Christopher wasn’t very happy about me leaving you here. She said I am not allowed to come back without you next time.”

“Obviously we changed the timeline somehow. Are we sure Dave isn’t Rittenhouse?” Lucy asked.

“Agent Christopher did a thorough background on him before he joined us on the Paris mission. Nothing seems to have changed except for the fact that he was using his duty weapon instead of a period piece in that shootout with Flynn.”

“That’s good to know.” Lucy paused. “So now what?”

“We don’t have to worry about Paulina’s time machine. I took the battery pack with me to 2024. I think that’s what Wyatt wanted me to do. Agent Christopher is sending Mason with a team to recover it. She wants us to figure out how Wyatt’s note got to you. They’ve tried to trace the messenger, but no luck.”

“How do you think it got there, Rufus? I can’t think of anyone in 1944 France that could get that message to us.” 

“There’s me,” Sherwin interrupted quietly.

Lucy looked at him, baffled. “I don’t see how that is possible for you to deliver it. You die before that happens.” She didn’t want to seem callous, but old age would take him in 2010.

“That’s true. But you have a time machine. As I understand it, I can visit any time I don’t exist. It has autopilot, right?” he asked with a little too much excitement.

“No,” Lucy almost shouted. “It’s too dangerous.”

 

Sherwin looked at her in disbelief. “As dangerous as dropping in behind enemy lines in Nazi occupied France?”

Sheepishly, Lucy conceded, “Probably not.”

 

“It might work,” Rufus said with excitement. “I could program the Lifeboat for you. It’s simple to put in the future coordinates and then tell it to return to this location.”

Lucy looked at him doubtfully. “What?” he asked. “Jiya pulled us back from 1754 using two words on 300 year old parchment. So anything is possible.” He paused, then added, “I just need a safe place near your house to park the Lifeboat. The cloak can hide it from your neighbors. You can draw Sherwin a map. This should be easy.”

“There,” Sherwin said, “It’s settled.” For a moment he looked so much like Wyatt when he was at his most determined, Lucy knew it was pointless to argue.

“Alright. I guess the sooner, the better.” She stood up to grab Wyatt’s letter. The paper was already yellowed, her past self would have no reason to doubt is legitimacy. Handing it over, she said, “If you’re going to do this, we have to make sure you don’t change anything.”


	20. Chapter 18

It didn’t take long for Bam-Bam to realize that Sherwin was a good medic. Wyatt’s wound had been expertly cleaned and closed. The infection was caused by waiting too long to remove the bullet. 

For now his concern wasn’t his patient, but rather the patient’s wife. “Lucy, when was the last time you slept?”

“I got a couple hours in when we first got to the cabin. Sherwin insisted.”

“You look pretty tired. Why don’t you rest?”

“You know I can’t do that. We’re in enemy territory. Wyatt’s injured and Rufus is off taking care of the future.”

“I’m here. I can keep watch. Just go rest. I promise to call for help if I need it.”

Lucy was torn. She knew this man was once Wyatt’s close friend. But it had been six years. Could she trust that this timeline hadn’t changed him? There was also the fact that she watched him die. 

She was tired, though. Who knew how this break would last. “Let me see your gun first.”

“What?” Bam-Bam asked in confusion.

“Your gun. Your modern gun,” she repeated. 

He pulled out his 9mm, flashing it at her before putting it away. Then he set a fierce looking period rifle on the table. “I have my standard duty weapon and this rifle I ‘borrowed’ from the Allied camp. Will that work for you, ma’am?”

Gritting her teeth, Lucy nodded. “Thank you.” She stood to go to the bedroom. “Wake me if anything moves outside.” He simply nodded. 

Quietly, she slipped into the bedroom. Wyatt was lying so still on the bed. They’d had to remove his shirt, and the blanket was draped across his lower half. In the dark,the cloth bandage stood in stark contrast to his pale skin. Slipping into bed next to him she scooted up to his right side, pressing as close to him as she dared. His skin was hot to the touch and he hadn’t moved in hours. being on his right side felt weird. She would have slept on the left but she feared upsetting his wound.

Brushing the hair from his forehead, Lucy felt the tears come. As she laid next to him, she let them fall. In the privacy of this room she could let her guard down for a few minutes. Didn’t Wyatt know it would devastate her if something happened to him? How would she raise the girls by herself. He needed to understand that he had to take care of himself. 

Never again would he go on a recon mission without his team. Agent Christopher was just going to have to understand. They were a team. If Rittenhouse was going to drag them down this rabbit hole again, it was going to be on her terms. 

“Yes, Ma’am,” Wyatt whispered, pulling her closer. 

She pushed up to look into his face. He still had his eyes closed, but that familiar “smirk” was on his face. “You’re awake? Wait, did I say that out loud?”

“Yes. You’re still a bossy know-it-all,” he joked.

“And you’re still a reckless hothead. But that stops now. No more unnecessary chances, Wyatt. This time was too close. The girls need us,” she said, raising her voice a little higher.

“I know. I should have waited for backup.”

“Promise me you won’t do it again.” 

“I won’t. This wasn’t the plan. I’ve been thinking a lot about retirement. But now?” 

“Now?” Lucy asked.

“Now Rittenhouse has the technology for time travel. It’s only a matter of time before they use it,” he responded fatalistically.

“Well that’s comforting,” she said dully. Sometimes she hated his blunt honesty about dire situations. “I guess we just take it one problem at a time.” Laying her head back on his chest, she sighed. “Get some sleep. We might need you. I need you.”

“Sure thing, Babydoll,” he snickered, and then he fell asleep.


	21. Chapter 19

Lucy woke up to Bam-Bam shaking her shoulder. “Lucy, they’re back.” 

Blinking at the light streaming into the room, she looked over her shoulder. She took in the situation around her. Bam-Bam, dank French cabin, 1944 war torn countryside, and Sherwin Logan. Shaking her head she laughed at the fact that once again they were breaking rule number one: “Don’t change anything.” 

She had to wonder what the world would look like when they got back to the present. Her one consolation was knowing the Rufus had protected the bunker from time shifts. The girls would still be there when they got home.

“Lucy,” Dave repeated himself. “Did you hear me?”

“Uhm, yeah.” She pushed herself up reaching out to check Wyatt’s temperature. 

“The fever broke sometime in the night. The antibiotics must have kicked in. I made some coffee. It’s not the greatest, but I thought you could use it.”

Nodding gratefully, she followed him into the main room. Rufus and Sherwin had already made themselves comfortable. “So how did it go?” She asked taking a seat and accepting her coffee.

“I found your house exactly where you said it would be. After that it was simple. I gave you the letter and came straight back here. I waited until you drove off.”

“Well, cross your fingers, then,” Lucy breathed out. “So what did you think of the future?”

“That next time, I need to see more than a park and street. I have to say though, the cars are different,” Sherwin raised his hands expressively.

“I take it you are not a fan?” Rufus asked.

“Definitely not.”

Lucy laughed. She could imagine his response to their neighbors eco friendly cars couldn’t be much different than Wyatt’s. It was nice sitting here relaxing, even if there was a war going on.

They’d been talking for a couple hours when Wyatt stumbled to the doorway. Lucy rushed over to him. “Wyatt, you need to be sleeping.”

“How long have I been here?” he asked frantically, bracing all his weight on the door frame.

“Uhm, I’m not sure. When did you get here?” Lucy asked.

Wyatt’s tired mind couldn’t come up with that date at the moment. “Nevermind. What’s today’s date? What time is it?”

Sherwin answered, “June 9, eleven hundred hours.”

If Wyatt had any color left to his skin it disappeared. “We’ve got to get moving. The battle’s going to move this way. At some point the cabin gets set on fire.” He thought back to the stories he had been told. “Sometime in the next couple hours.”

Sherwin stood up, gathering supplies. Calmly he asked, “How do you know?”

Wyatt hesitated remembering rule number one. Don’t change anything. Yet, he knew any events that had been changed had already been set in motion. “Because you will tell me all about this cabin and the troop movements years from now. You even gave me the direct coordinates to the area. The same ones I used to pilot Paulina’s ship with. Until now, I always thought you made those up.”

"Time travel issues, right?” his grandfather answered. Shrugging, he continued, “Then we grab our supplies and make ourselves scarce. Let's get you home. The faster we get moving, the faster we can get my grandson to a hospital.”

“What about you?” Lucy asked. 

Sherwin smirked. “Well, ma’am, you might not have noticed, but there’s a war on. So I’ll just be getting back to what I do best. After I meet with Ian Fleming, of course. I have intel to pass on from the Allies.” 

Getting back to the Lifeboat was much easier now that Rufus had parked it closer. Rufus half helped Wyatt walk and half dragged him. Sherwin took point while Bam-Bam took up the rear. Lucy walked next to her team, Wyatt’s gun carefully concealed in her belt, just in case. There was no way she was going to let anything else happen to her family.

When they got back to the Lifeboat, she stood guard with his grandfather as Rufus and Bam-Bam helped Wyatt in. It was a few minutes later when Rufus called out. “Lucy, were ready to go when you are.”

“I’ll be right there,” she called back. Then turning to Sherwin, she reached out and hugged him. “Thank you,” she whispered.

As they parted, he said bashfully, “I was just doing my job, ma’am.” 

“Not about this,” she corrected. “Thank you for being there, when Wyatt will need you the most. He is who he is because of you.”

“I wish I could be as certain of my future as you are,” he answered. 

Lucy looked back at the Lifeboat for a moment before coming to a decision. She slipped the locket over her neck and removed her rings. Placing the rings back on her finger, she grabbed Sherwin’s hand and closed it around the locket. “If ever you doubt yourself, just look at this.”

“I can’t take this,” he tried to refuse.

“Yes you can,” Lucy insisted. “A wise person once told me to ‘figure out what you are fighting for’. Sometimes having something to hold onto gives us that extra strength we need.” Shrugging, she added with a wink, “You can always give it back to me one day.”

And with that she stepped into the Lifeboat waving at him as the door closed.


	22. Chapter 20

Rufus helped set Wyatt down in his seat, the immediately started power up procedures for the Lifeboat. When Bam-bam tried to help Wyatt with his seatbelts, he was pushed away by Lucy. Without a word, he slipped into the spare seat and buckled in. 

She leaned forward to grasp the straps. Wyatt was barely conscious, so his hand brushing the hair out of her eyes came as a surprise. "That's my job."

Lucy snorted, "Yeah. Like you're in any shape to be messing with these? The girls and I need you in one piece." 

Giving the strap one last tug, she stopped as Wyatt gasped in pain. She looked up, afraid she'd hurt him. He gave her that smirk which usually made her heart race. Now, it just calmed her fears. "That would be easier if you weren't trying to hurt me now." 

Leaning back in her seat, she started to strap herself in, shoving the tears back. "It would be horrible to get you back to the present for you to get hurt worse slipping out of your seat."

"Yes, ma'am." Anything else he might have said was interrupted by Rufus.

"All set back there?"

Lucy looked to Wyatt. He was already adjusting to his seat trying to pretend he was relaxed and comfortable. She caught his faint nod. "We're good." Looking over at Wyatt as the machine started to shake, she knew he was anything but good. 

 

*****  
The Lifeboat landed in the silo with a quiet thud. Agent Christopher immediately called for the medical team. No point in waiting to see how bad the wound was, she already knew from Rufus that it would be a long recovery. She only hoped that whoever had patched him up in 1944 knew what he was doing.

Watching Wyatt stumble out of the Lifeboat brought back painful memories for the team. 1865 seemed so long ago, but also just a blink of the eye. The medics rushed in and forced Wyatt to lay on the gurney as they began getting his vitals. He protested immediately that he was quite capable of walking. No one was listening.

“Your assistant will meet you at the hospital. I had her run by the house and take care of your cat,” Agent Christopher told Wyatt as the team checked his bandages. 

“Her?” Wyatt thought. There was a problem with that statement, but his painfilled mind just couldn’t remember what. The team had already started an IV drip. Whatever they put in it hit him hard.

“Cat?” Lucy asked. “We don’t have a cat.”

“In this timeline, I guess you do,” Jiya answered. She waved at Lucy. 

Mason stepped forward. “Lucy, go check on the girls. Jiya will drive the three of you the hospital. Ms. Wallace has offered to join you at the hospital and sit with the girls while the doctors work their magic.”

The ride to the hospital was intense. Lucy was trying to keep a smile on her face for the girls, but it was hard. Wyatt was already in the back when they arrived. The doctors were more concerned with the infection than the original injury. A nurse had come out and informed them that he would be moved to recovery shortly. 

Lucy was lost in thought as a woman rushed in to the waiting room. She carried a duffle bag in one hand and a wooden box in the other. Looking up Lucy almost fainted. “Amy?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I began this journey simply researching the 101st and their decorated history. Operation Neptune was the first wave of our troops into France ahead of D-Day. The 82nd and 101st were parachuted behind enemy lines in the dark. Many didn't make it to the ground, dying in the trees. They were several miles off course and had to regroup. They were in Korea during the Hungnam evacuation.
> 
> It was always my intention to replace Corporal Roberts with Amy. The poor guy never had a chance. Bam-bam's return is from the imagination of my 16 year old daughter who likes him for some reason.
> 
> After writing this, I had to explain the significance of 88 miles an hour to my kids. I guess we need to binge BTTF.


	23. Epilogue

Lucy couldn’t believe it. Amy was here. How was that possible? For a moment she was able to push her worries about Wyatt aside. But before she could greet her sister, her daughters were rushing at her. Amy caught them effortlessly. This seemed like something that happened a lot, but the girls had never met her, right?

“Aunt Amy!” Flynn shouted as her sister whispered, “Daddy’s been hurt.”

Amy knelt down to her nieces level. “Sherry, you know how tough your daddy is. I’m sure he’ll be alright, sweetie.”

Lucy looked at Jiya and mouthed, “Sherry?” 

Jiya looked a little uncomfortable. “Yeah, about that. The time dilation dampener didn’t work quite the way we expected it to. No one in the bunker felt the timeline changes, but there were some issues. In this timeline, Amy has always existed. So you didn’t name your daughter after her.”

Taking a moment to adjust to this change, Lucy shrugged. It didn’t matter, her sister was alive. Another question seemed more important. “If things weren’t supposed to change for us in the bunker, how do the girls know her?” 

Her friend hesitated. “That might be a better question left to when Wyatt’s feeling better. I think I know what happened, but I haven’t had time to verify it.”

“Jiya,” Lucy said sharply. “Tell me.”

“I think the girls might be seeing the forbidden colors. It’s not harmful, but I’d like to verify it. If I’m right, it just means that they can feel multiple timelines. So for them, Amy has always been in their lives.” 

“How is that possible?”

“I’m not completely positive. We’ll have to run some tests. Their parents are both time travelers, so maybe that has something to do with it?”

“I guess we’ll deal with that when we know,” Lucy sighed. “For now, I’m going to greet my sister.” She walked up behind the twins who were explaining in great detail about the dark bunker they were in “forever.” Amy was nodding and making wide-eyed reactions. She glanced up at Lucy and smiled. 

“Well, sis, I’m guessing you have questions. I do, too. Agent Christopher said the timeline shifted again?”

 

“You know about that?” Lucy asked.

“I am Wyatt’s assistant. At least in this timeline I am.” She smirked. “In my timeline we’ve had this conversation before. About five years ago, when mom died. So why don’t we leave your cell phone number at the nurses station and go get something to eat. We can talk all about it.” She looked up at Jiya. “Do you want to come?” 

Jiya shook her head. “No. I’ll wait here. Rufus will be joining me soon. I’ll text you if they give me any updates.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Amy said as she took Lucy by the arm and ushered the girls ahead of them. Taking charge like she was the older sister, Lucy was grateful to let her take the lead. “Here,” she handed Lucy the box she’d been carrying.

It was old, wooden, and big enough to fit four reams of paper in it. It folded open like a book, with a snap latch that had a small three digit combination. Etched into the metal plate on the lid were the words “To Wyatt Logan to be opened after February 12, 2024”.

“I have no idea what’s inside. Dad gave it to me to hold on to. Hopefully Wyatt knows the combination. Otherwise we will have to find a locksmith. I think the answers to so many of your questions are inside”.

****

They’d been sitting at the table for a few hours. The girls quietly coloring while the two sisters caught up when Jiya entered the cafeteria. “Wyatt’s out of surgery. They’re moving him to recovery now.” She looked over at the twins. “Rufus and I can take the girls home with us. We can arrange a hand off tomorrow. Maybe after our Star Wars marathon?”

Lucy nodded. “Thanks. I”ll try to have Wyatt call them later. Take my car, it’s got the car seats in it.” She hugged Jiya, kissed the girls and left. 

Amy turned to Jiya. “I’ll make sure she gets home and keep you updated.”

****

A few more hours passed before Wyatt woke up. That gave Lucy time to process everything she’d learned. In this timeline her mom had met and married Henry Wallace when she was three years old. By the time Amy was two, Henry had discovered his wife’s ties to Rittenhouse and had grown concerned about her involvement. When it became clear that Rittenhouse would always come first, he divorced Carol and took Amy with him. 

After Carol and Nicholas died in the car accident, Amy came looking for her sister. The sisters met for the first time at their mother’s funeral. Eventually, Amy was hired by Homeland Security to assist with Special Projects. 

She was shaken out of her reflections by Wyatt. “Hey,” he whispered. Smiling in relief, Lucy grabbed his hand and held tight. “Hey.” 

He looked around, a little disoriented. The stark white walls and military feel letting him know he was in a hospital in the present. “The girls?” 

“Rufus and Jiya took them to their house for a Star Wars marathon. I promised you would call them in the morning.”

 

He nodded, trying to push himself to a more comfortable position. Lucy immediately got up to help him. “I’d ask how you’re feeling, but you’d just tell me it’s a scratch. The doctors want you to stay here at least three more days.”

“Not gonna happen. I can recover just the same at home as I can here.”

“Wyatt,” Lucy said in her best professor’s voice, “You are going to do what the doctor says. Don’t make me get Agent Christopher involved.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, not having the energy to fight this right now. “1944, that was all real?”

Lucy nodded. “Amy’s back, too,” she said, tears rolling down her face. “She knows about time travel and apparently works with you in Special Projects.” She proceeded to explain everything that she had learned earlier. 

“Any other changes?” he asked.

“Well, we have a cat and apparently named our daughter Sherry instead of Amy, after your grandfather, since Amy is alive.” She picked the box up off the table. “Amy brought this for you. you wouldn’t happen to know the lock combination, would you?” she asked as she handed it to him. 

He stared down at the familiar handwriting, hardly daring to believe it. After a moment of reflection, Wyatt turned the dials 2, 1, 4. It popped right open. “Grandpa always was a sentimental type. Valentines’ Day was my grandparent's anniversary.” With shaking hands, he lifted the lid. There was a letter, brittle on the edges, a piece of lead, a hardback copy of Weapon of Choice and a locket Wyatt immediately recognized.

He started with the necklace. Opening it up, he noticed that although the pictures had aged, they hadn’t changed. He let out a sigh of relief. “I believe this belongs to you,” he said handing it over.

Lucy took it, focusing on putting it on as she answered his unspoken question. “I left it with Sherwin as a reminder of what he was fighting for.”

Wyatt reached out and squeezed her hand. He pulled the book out next. It was personalized by Ian Flemming. “To Wyatt Logan. I hope this finds you well. Give my regards to Lucy and Rufus.” Handing it to Lucy, he moved on to the letter.

June 2012

Wyatt-

If you're reading this, my little experiment in changing history worked. You said your biggest regret was being unable to save Lucy's sister. 

I may have played Cupid, but things never go as planned. When I realized that Rittenhouse would never stop, I helped Henry take Amy into hiding. There didn't seem to be any other way to make sure I didn't change the timeline too much. Sometimes we need the darkness to find the light.

You have a beautiful family. Take care of them. 

-Sherwin

P.S. Ian Fleming sent his regards to my "older brother" and his beautiful partner. You could have warned me, son. 

Wyatt smirked. He would have liked to have seen that meeting between his grandfather and Fleming. Until now, he'd never realized the old man had met him, let alone served with him. But that would make sense. It was because of his grandfather that he started reading the books in the first place.

He handed the letter to Lucy. "It seems Rittenhouse had nothing to do with bringing your sister back. I'm sorry you lost all those years with her."

Lucy just smiled. 

The moment was broken by a knock at the door. A moment later Agent Christopher stepped inside and closed the door. "I spoke to the doctors. They didn't change out the stitches because they looked clean. They're going to keep you here overnight, then transfer you to our secure facility to finish recovering. 

"We'll be putting together a new time program just in case Rittenhouse decides to start operations again. Paulina isn't sure how much of her tech they understood. The prototype wasn't at the coordinates in France that Rufus gave us. So with it missing, anything is possible. We'll talk more tomorrow about it.

"And Houdini?" Agent Christopher added to Wyatt, "I've staged a soldier at the door. I am not in the mood to deal with your claustrophobic tendencies tonight."

Wyatt looked down at his feet, trying not to laugh. 

"Houdini?" Lucy asked.

"Really, Master Sergeant? After 7 years you still haven't told her what your code name is?" She looked at Lucy incredulously. "In the Army, Wyatt was known for being able to slip out of any tight situation. As you know, he can pick any lock and sneak in undetected. So the name fit. 

"And the last time Wyatt was in the hospital, he tried to sneak out twice to look for you."

"The last time you were in the hospital? When was that?" 

"Uhm… it wasn't a big deal. Just a couple of scratches when Mason Industries was destroyed," he shrugged.

Denise looked at him in disbelief. "No. It was a severe concussion, lacerations, burns and a dislocated shoulder." Looking at Lucy she added, "Then he tried to get out of the hospital to find you. So the guard at the door is for my sanity."

Shaking her head, Christopher added, "As soon as the doctor says you can be moved, I'll get you out of here."

"Thanks," Wyatt said, quietly. "We're probably going to have to work on the next stage because Rittenhouse isn't going to give up. And we don't even know who's in charge."

"Get some rest," Denise said in a motherly tone. "That conversation can wait." She patted Wyatt on the shoulder and hugged Lucy. "Goodnight."

As she slipped out the door, Lucy turned to Wyatt. "So your code name is Houdini, huh? I'm sure there's a story behind that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long this took. I bounced ideas for a new story, and couldn't decide if this should be the end if this story or the beginning of a new one. 
> 
> Hopefully I will be able to start posting the next one shortly. 
> 
> I owe a big thanks to my 15 year old son, Andrew. He's "not a Timeless fan," but he's a pretty good critic.


End file.
